


Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing penguins?

by Daxii



Category: Free!
Genre: Cute, First Meeting, Kinda fluff, M/M, animal park AU, guest Rei, haru is a dolphin, keeper Nagisa, misheard lyrics title, rin is a shark, sousuke is a bigger shark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 23:30:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5069077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daxii/pseuds/Daxii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nagisa is the cute penguin keeper and Rei is intrigued.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing penguins?

The large animal park on the edge of the city has slowly but surely made itself Rei’s preferred place to try and relax since moving here. The season pass cost about the same as the deposit on his room, but the place emphasises research and rehabilitation, a refreshing break from the zoos and aquariums showing off their animals for nothing more than commercial entertainment, in under-sized tanks with lacklustre carers.

The giant butterfly tent holds a special place in his heart. The heat and humidity just _does_ something to the way he thinks, and he always leaves feeling utterly rejuvenated, ready to get on with his latest project. But there’s something about the penguin enclosure that just leaves him feeling _inspired_.

It smells fishy and they can get pretty noisy, but Rei is spending more and more time leaning over the barrier, just watching them. They all have these little friendships going on, and he’s even started to recognise individuals. There’s the one which has one flipper darker than the other, the one who has a weird streak of white fur staining the black, and then there’s the one with the high pitched voice who always lets Rei know when then penguin keeper is arriving.

He’s a little man. Wears his dungarees rolled up to his knees and a bright pink band in his hair to keep it out of his eyes, and always stops to say hi to all his little penguin friends who come to greet him. They must all have names. Rei thinks the one missing an eye is named Steve.

The keepers name is Nagisa, as Rei has learned from the hundreds of times another member of staff has bellowed it across the arena or even over the speaker system. Rei now spends so long here that Nagisa must surely have come to recognise him.

On this particular day, a chilly Tuesday lunch time where Rei just needed to get out of his lab for an hour to breathe in something other than disinfectant and lingering sulphur from something that’s gone wrong in the fridge, Rei is the only spectator for the penguin’s lunch. Nagisa looks set and ready to set his stereo up for the parading performance. The penguins aren’t trained in the slightest, but with the right music and Nagisa’s interactions, they look like a West End musical, so perfectly choreographed yet so natural, along with this undeniable affection Nagisa has for his troop.

Rei clears his throat. “Since it’s just me, you don’t need the music if you don’t want to, if it’s tiresome for you.”

“Oh!” Nagisa squeaks, taken by surprise and whirling around. “No it’s no trouble! We like our little dance-offs, right guys?”

Rei smiles, endeared, and the show goes on.

 

“Oh, hi!” Nagisa grins in front of Rei, holding buckets full of fish in each hand. “You were at lunch with our gang the other day, right?”

Rei nods, pushing up his glasses and wiping his nose. The _smell_.

“Well we’re actually having lunch a little later today. We have a guy off sick so I need to feed his dolphin.”

Rei is intrigued. The dolphin isn’t on view to the public, a recent resident who was rescued from the beach after a storm, with plans to be released as soon as the vet deems him(?) well enough. However, today there’s been quite the ruckus around the dolphin’s enclosure, people standing outside his door _concerned_.

Because the poor thing has been _crying_. Rei, so regular here, has never heard the animal make a single _peep_ on his trips to and from the penguins, and has also become pretty worried by the sad songs. It’s so eerie when the park is quiet. Echoing on the wind, calling out.

“Haru-chan sounds pretty sad, right? I guess he must really miss Makoto today.”

“His trainer?” Rei asks.

“Yep! People always underestimate friendships between humans and animals. I think what they have is beautiful.”

“Nagisa-san,” Rei makes a pointed glance at his nametag, trying not to act like he hasn’t known his name for months now. “I’m a scientist, researcher if you will… would it be possible for me to arrange some access to study this? I’d be interested in writing a report.”

“Well, he’s Makoto’s baby so you’d have to ask him tomorrow, and then all the technical stuff like clearing it with the higher-ups, but if you’d like, you can come with me to feed him!”

 

The dolphin falls silent as soon as they open up the doors, Nagisa beeping his security pass on the scanner. Rei helps hold the door so he can get in with his buckets, but he leaves one in the lobby. Rei raises an eyebrow.

“I’ve gotta tip that one in to Rin on the way back to my bros,” Nagisa explains, and Rei’s other eyebrow goes up. “He’s our moody shark. Makoto takes care of him, too, but he’s spent a lot of his time just sulking in his cave since we had to transfer his friend out – he hurt his fin, needed isolating. But don’t worry, our Sousuke’s on the mend and they’ll be back together in no time.”

Rei backtracks. “Your penguins are all male?”

“Yep! We’re for rehab and release, not breeding, so any females who need care go to the park that’s down south.”

“And… does everything have a name?”

“Of course they do. Haru’s just starting to learn his. Right, Haruka?” Nagisa calls, and they make their way up some steps to stand on a platform on level with the water.

A grey head pops up across from them and clicks. Rei can only describe the tone as _disappointment_.

“Come on, Haru! I brought mackerel. Makoto says that’s your favourite, right?”

Rei sees a shape moving closer, and finally just the tip of the bottlenose snout pokes out, mouth open just wide enough for Nagisa to hand over a fish.

“He’s sulking,” Rei observes. Haru hits him with a jet from his blow hole.

“Right? They have such personalities when you get to know them. I’ll just tip half of this in. He can have more for supper if he eats it all up. You hear me, Haru?”

Two clicks and a splash, and Nagisa winks at the tank, aiming for the dolphin. Rei waits outside the shark house for just a few moments while Rin the Shark is fed, and Nagisa re-joins him to walk to the penguins together, picking up another bucket of fish on the way.

“Rin’s a nurse shark… do you think there are like… waiter sharks? Maid sharks?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rei rolls his eyes, but Nagisa doesn’t look offended.

All Rei can picture is poor Rin swimming around in a maid’s dress, and he can’t stifle the laugh that escapes. Nagisa smiles at him.

“Come in, if you like,” Nagisa offers. “It’s against protocol but… it’s just us. And you’re a _scientist_ , how bad can it be?”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Rei agrees.

There are two sets of gates to stop any escapees making a break for it, but the birds are absolutely only interested in the bucket Nagisa taps with a pebble he picks up, sending a ringing noise out to call them all over.

“Hit the stereo for me? It’s track number 6.”

Rei obliges, and soon the all too familiar tune is blasting out and Nagisa makes the rounds. Up close, Rei can hear him saying a few little words to each bird, greeting them with their name and telling them a little joke, and it’s so sweet. It pulls on something he’s not familiar with, this need for such genuine affection he knows he’s been lacking in his life these last few years.

And then Nagisa rounds on him, pulling something out of his pocket that’s not fish, but a piece of paper. “I can’t offer you any lunch today, but you should send me a message and maybe we can sort something out?”

Rei’s hand shakes as he reaches to take the paper, realising it’s Nagisa’s number. “Um. Yes. Yes I’d like that very much. Thank you.”

“See you around, Rei-chan.”

**Author's Note:**

> I love that feeling you get when you just get so inspired by something (in this case, misheard lyrics) and it spirals into a little joke and then blows itself up into an idea, and even though you can't afford the investment you just have to do something to get it out there. I love writing like this, where it has no real purpose. It flows so easily.


End file.
